New guidelines on kids and peanuts may contradict what you’ve heard before

Kidspot Editor |
July 03, 2017

Parents wondering when they should start feeding peanut-containing foods to their infant to reduce the child’s risk of peanut allergies can now turn to new advice.

This story originally appeared on news.com.au and has been republished here with permission. By Charlotte Willis.

Most babies should start eating peanut-containing foods well before their first birthday, according to new guidelines released on Thursday that aim to protect high-risk youngsters from developing the dangerous food allergy.

The guidelines, released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in America, mark a shift in dietary advice, based on landmark research that found early exposure dramatically lowers a baby’s chances of becoming allergic.

Early introduction could be the key

A trial of more than 600 infants found that regular peanut consumption until age five reduced the likelihood of an allergy by 81 per cent.

The detailed recommendations for paediatricians and other health care providers, as well as parents, spell out exactly how and when to introduce infants to peanut-based foods.

For some, as early as four to six months of age, depending on whether they’re at high, moderate or low risk of developing the troublesome food allergy.

“We’re on the cusp of hopefully being able to prevent a large number of cases of peanut allergy,” said Matthew Greenhawt of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

New guidelines turning conventional wisdom on its head may help prevent life-threatening peanut allergies in future generations of children. Source: News Corp Australia

Those at highest risk are defined as babies with a severe form of the skin condition eczema, or egg allergies, or both. Babies at high risk require a check-up before any peanut exposure, and might get their first taste in the doctor’s office.

Those in the middle group have mild to moderate eczema, while those infants in the lowest-risk group have no eczema or food allergies. For these tots, most parents can start adding peanut protein to the diet much like they would introduce porridge or mushed peas.

Desensitising has positive effect

The guidelines include infant-safe options such as watered-down peanut butter or easy-to-gum peanut-flavoured “puff” snacks.

“It’s an important step forward,” said Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which appointed experts to turn the research findings into user-friendly guidelines.

“When you do desensitise them from an early age, you have a very positive effect.”

A serious peanut allergy can lead to anaphylaxis and, rarely, even death, which is why many parents avoid introducing their children to peanuts.

Hospital admissions for severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) have doubled over the past decade in Australia, USA and UK, according to Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).

Aussie kids now have one of the highest rates of food allergies in the world.

Almost three in every 100 children have a peanut allergy, according to Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia,and around 20 per cent of kids grow out of it, while those who have had more severe allergic reactions are less likely to outgrow their peanut allergy.

In America, the number of children with nut allergies has quadrupled in the past 13 years, with peanut allergies now estimated to affect 2 per cent of kids — and those numbers appear to be growing, the Washington Post reports.

Avoiding peanuts at an early age hasn't worked

For years, paediatricians advised avoiding peanuts until age three for children thought to be at risk, AP reports. But the delay didn’t help, and that recommendation was dropped in 2008 — although parent wariness of peanuts persists.

“This update to the peanut guidelines offers a lot of promise,” allergist Stephen Tilles, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said in a statement. “Peanut allergy has literally become an epidemic in recent years, and now we have a clear road map to prevent many new cases moving forward.”

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